


Opportunities

by SilverDragonMS



Series: Threatening Darkness [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dark Link is creepy, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Please let me know what needs to be tagged, Wild wants to know his past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22773088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDragonMS/pseuds/SilverDragonMS
Summary: He just wants to know. His past before the Champions and before Zelda are nonexistent, nothing more than vague feelings of familiarity. At this point, he’d do anything to recover them... at least, he thinks so.[This is a gift for Linked_Aurica from the Gift Exchange. You wanted Wild angst, I hope I delivered ^u^]
Series: Threatening Darkness [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668157
Comments: 8
Kudos: 122





	Opportunities

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Linked_Aurica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linked_Aurica/gifts).



It was a quiet night for once, no monsters in sight and not a single nightmare to disturb the group. It was nearing the early morning hours, Wild had taken the second shift and was currently sitting a short distance away from the campfire, reading one of the champions’ diaries. 

Though he’d read them several times, he couldn’t help but to go through them again and again in a near desperate attempt to regain some of his memories. Though he had many from Zelda and the Champions already, it didn’t feel like enough. There had to be more than he was missing. He didn’t just happen to be seventeen and go through life at that age, he had to have had a life before Zelda and the Calamity. And yet, no matter how much he tried to get more memories to appear, even if certain places in his Hyrule hit him with waves of nostalgia, they never seemed to linger and stay as the other memories had.

He had probably exhausted this journal already, trying to scour it for details about before was useless at this point. He sighed as he closed it and placed it back in his bag, returning to watch the woods around their little group.

It was quiet.

Until he heard a rustling in the bushes near him. 

Wild at first suspected it was an animal of some sort until he heard a low chuckle. He reached for his sword that was propped up next to him, unsheathing it as he stood up to face whatever threat had come. A dark figure emerged from the darkened woods, eyes a deep red while their form was entirely cloaked in darkness, such that it was impossible to make out what they looked like. Though Wild could tell immediately who the figure was.

He opened his mouth to order everyone up to fight off Dark Link, but he soon found a hand covering his mouth, stifling any noise he tried to make. 

“Now now, let’s not disrupt this peaceful night.” Dark chuckled lowly. 

Fear gripped Wild, and it was only a split second, a blink of his eyes, and he was plunged into a dark void. His sword was no longer in his hands, and his Slate was no longer at his hip. He was terrified, and the eerie laughter that surrounded him only caused his heartbeat to ring in his ears.

He felt pressure behind him, like eyes watching him. He whipped around, standing with his hands clenched into fists as he saw Dark appear from the darkness behind him, form rippling as it gained physicality. The other looked scarily like himself, long hair put in a low hanging tie at his back, wearing the Champion’s tunic over Hylian trousers. The differences were startling, no scars marred the other’s face and his eyes were blood red, made all the more terrifying by the too wide smile.

“You know, I’ve been around quite a while longer than you’d think, since the beginning, even.” Dark started off, his voice sounding eerily similar to Wild’s own, circling him like an animal does to its prey. “I’ve seen all of your little groups' adventures, fought several of them in person. I know every single secret, every desire, every fear.”

Dark stops in front of Wild for a moment, his smile growing sharper as he sees Wild’s discomfort.

“Is it really so hard to believe that I know everything about you? Every memory you’ve ever had and every memory you’ve lost.”

In a split second, Dark Link disappeared again, Wild frantically looked around, despite knowing the futility of it.

“Yes, I know what you want. You crave your past,” he laughs, the sound seeming to come from everywhere, echoing. “You want to know your family, your life before you pulled the sword from its pedestal. Your poor sister and father.”

Wild flinches at the hand that now rests on his shoulder, and slowly he looks behind him to see a small girl wearing an off white dress, blonde hair just touching her shoulders. He feels a wave of fear as the smiling figure opens her eyes to show them colored blood red. Wild stumbles back and looks up at her as she tilts her head to the side, a too-wide smile on her face.

“What’s wrong, big brother? Don’t you recognize me?” she says, her voice distorting with the sound of Dark Link’s voice mixing into hers.

Wild flinches away, stumbling on nothing, and looks back to where the girl once stood only to see an older man, a white beard on his face with a dirty apron covering a green shirt and red pants. He was muscular, with faint scars on his arms. The blood red eyes and sharp grin were the only give away.

“What’s the matter, Link?” his voice distorted, overlaid with Dark’s own, “Don’t you recognize your old man?”

Wild scrambled backwards, away from the man that Dark Link appeared as. His chest felt tight, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he tried to breathe through the panic that had grown during Dark’s torment. He looked away, covering his ears to block out the sounds of laughter from his oppressor. 

“Aw, too much?” he heard the other’s mocking tone, not nearly as muffled as he had wanted it to be. 

He looked up to see Dark once again looking like himself without the scars. Dark’s smile was no longer as wide and sharp as it had been, instead looking almost fond. He looked as if he was contemplating something, and when Wild stood back up, hands no longer covering his ears and panic lessened, Dark seemed to reach a conclusion.

“I can give them to you, you know. Your memories from before Zelda and the Champions.”

“There’s a catch, isn’t there.” Wild spoke, and he saw Dark’s smile falter for a moment, returning to his face quickly enough.

“Ah, if you consider a favor for a favor a catch then so be it.” he chuckled, then held out his right hand, a smirk on his face. “I’ll give you what you want, you just need to do what I say.”

Wild lifted his own hand, though he hesitated. This was what he wanted… right? But, it’s Dark Link. His idea of a deal will only lead to pain and suffering for the rest of the group… it wouldn’t be worth it… right?

Dark began to frown, and soon was tapping his foot against the supposed floor of the darkened void, making a steady sound that almost resembled that of a clock counting down.

“Come on, now. This is a great opportunity I’m giving you, time is slipping away as we speak. I don’t have all night after all, let alone offering these every day.”

Wild could feel the tension in the air mounting, and Dark’s tapping of his foot only added to the unease. He bit his lip, then looked up at Dark’s smiling face as he made his decision.

* * *

Wild jolted upright, opening his eyes to see the sun beginning to rise over the trees. He was the only one awake.

He slowly stood up, stretching and looking around for a sign that what had happened last night was more than a dream. There was no sign that the Shadow had ever been here to begin with. He grabbed the Slate, going through options for breakfast when the rest of the group began to stir. He tried not to flinch as Four approached, hands on his hips as he watched Wild begin to pull out ingredients.

“Why didn’t you wake me up for the last shift?” 

Wild paused for a moment, expression blank, until he shrugged and returned to his task.

“You needed the rest,” he mumbled, “and besides, I don't think I was gonna get any sleep last night anyways.”

Faintly, the champion could hear the sounds of echoing laughter, and it took all of his strength not to shiver at the sound.


End file.
